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OUR TEAM
Experience led.
Risk Focused.
Meet our team
Michael Gulliford
MANAGING PARTNER & CO-FOUNDER
Michael Gulliford has more than two decades of experience in the intellectual property arena as an investor, advisor, dealmaker and former law firm partner. At Soryn IP Capital Management, Michael oversees the firm's portfolio of private credit, legal finance and other IP-specific investments. Prior to Soryn IP Capital Management, Michael founded Soryn IP Group, an intellectual property advisory and finance firm that guided the management of private and publicly traded companies with respect to patent strategy, and that closed more than $175 million in patent-centric deals. Prior to founding Soryn IP Group, Michael was a partner in the IP litigation group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he counseled clients on IP issues in a host of industries. Michael holds a BA in Neuroscience from Columbia University and a JD from the Seton Hall University School of Law. Michael regularly speaks and publishes on the latest IP monetization and finance developments. Among various industry distinctions, Michael has been recognized as a Global Leader in Intellectual Property, as one of the Leading IP Strategists in the World and as a Patent Master. Chambers and Partners has also repeatedly recognized Michael as a top practitioner of IP Litigation Finance.
Phil Hartstein
MANAGING PARTNER & CO-FOUNDER
Phil Hartstein is an executive and investor with more than two decades of experience in the intellectual property industry. Prior to founding Soryn IP Capital, Phil was the President and CEO of Finjan Holdings (formerly NASDAQ: FNJN, now owned by Fortress), where he oversaw the licensing and enforcement of the Company’s pioneering cybersecurity patents, and established a number of IP industry best practices for patent licensing. During his tenure as CEO, Finjan generated more than $300 million in licensing income both through negotiated deals and trial victories. Prior to Finjan, Phil’s career focused on IP investments and monetization, in industries ranging from medical devices to cybersecurity technologies. Phil is active in several industry organizations, and has worked diligently to establish standards for patent licensing through the Licensing Executives Society, where is a founding Board member of the Standards Development Organization. A named inventor and patent holder, Phil has more than two dozen pending and issued patents. Phil is regularly invited to speak on patent and policy related topics, and has been twice recognized as a Top 40 Global IP Dealmaker by IAM Magazine. Phil graduated with a BS in Industrial Technology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
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Grant Sweitzer
MANAGING PARTNER
Grant Sweitzer has more than fifteen years of experience as a finance professional, with significant experience in opportunistic credit, distressed opportunities, legal finance, and intellectual property. At Soryn IP Capital Management, Grant oversees the firm’s credit and financial underwriting, data driven approach to sourcing, and broader operating responsibilities. Prior to joining Soryn, Grant was a Principal on the opportunistic credit team at Bardin Hill Investment Partners (F.K.A. Halcyon Capital Management), a multi-billion dollar investment manager where his contributions included sourcing, underwriting and monitoring portfolio investments with a focus split between distressed and other complex event-driven investment opportunities in both public and private markets. In Grant’s prior role at Bardin Hill, he was a member of a three-person investment team that established the firm’s first legal finance and longer duration private investments platform, which invested in numerous IP-focused opportunities. Grant is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) charterholder. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a member of the Honors College and received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Finance and a minor in Economics.
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